Double Date
by fadedelegance
Summary: Sequel to "EADA Rubirosa". Connie and Mike go on a double date with Lupo and Connie's new partner Allison Barclay. Conversations and banter galore ensue!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Dick Wolf and NBC own "Law and Order". I don't.**

**A/N: This is the next story in my little series. It's the sequel to "EADA Rubirosa". I had a lot of fun writing all this fluff and banter, so I hope my fellow fangirls (You know who you are!) reading this will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You guys also get to know my OC Allison a little more in this one, too. And I hope you also like the quirks I gave the canon characters, as well as her. I hope you guys find their conversations amusing and endearing, as well.**

**This is for Linus, Alana, and Jeremy. I love you guys! (And if I ever meet any of you, it's photo-op time! LOL)**

** I also have to give my dad a shout-out because every time I watch baseball with him, I learn something new! (Hee hee, I be sure and ask questions.) So I owe all my baseball knowledge to him. Thanks, Daddy! (And Go White Sox! :-P) **

**This is for June and Angie! Abby**

**Double Date**

Chapter 1

Connie was at a local bar that was a favorite hang-out of Manhattan's cops and prosecutors. She and Mike sat at the front counter, holding hands. Lupo and Bernard were with them, too.

The Mets were playing, and the game was on several of the bar's TVs. Lupo and Bernard were both fans, so they watched intently as they sipped their beers.

"Sad," Mike joked, smirking and nodding at them, teasing them for supporting the Mets instead of the Yankees.

"Be nice," Connie quipped, smiling.

"I got our tickets for next weekend," Mike said happily.

He and Connie were going to a Yankees game together—their first baseball game date.

"Oh good, I'm excited!" Connie said brightly.

"Me, too," Mike said sweetly. "I can't wait to share my favorite past time with you."

Connie smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"You gonna try to catch a foul or a homer?" she asked.

"I always try," Mike replied, smiling.

"You'll have to tell me who everyone is—I only know Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez."

"I will! Except Rodriguez doesn't matter. He cheats. He was busted for steroid use recently."

"That's pathetic. You're not being paid millions a year to cheat."

"Right. I think if you're in the majors, and you're caught pumping performance enhancers, you should be banned from playing. Guys do it all the time, but all they get is a slap on the wrist instead of what they _should_ get: a slap in the family jewels."

"Tell me how you _really_ feel," Connie quipped, smiling. "Anyway, I think you're right. The league should punish them instead of rewarding their poor behavior with obscenely high paychecks."

"I'll drink to that!" Mike said, smiling and taking a swig of beer.

Connie chuckled and took a sip of her Bailey's.

"Hey—are we still on for Saturday night?" she asked.

"Of course! Did you think I would ditch you?" Mike said sweetly.

"No, no, I know you'd never do that to me!" Connie warmly reassured him. "I just don't want anything to come up and wreck our plans because I've really been looking forward to spending time with you. But I always look forward to that…"

"Me, too," Mike said, kissing her temple.

At commercial break, Connie got Lupo's attention.

"So I've been thinking," she said. "You and Allison hit it off, right?" she asked him, referring to Allison Barclay, her new partner.

"Yeah—she's a nice person," Lupo replied. "Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if the two of you would like to go out with Mike and me on Saturday night. We're going out to eat at this nice hole-in-the-wall diner. Their food is amazing, especially the key lime pie…So what do you say?"

"Well, I can't speak for Allison, but it sounds great. I enjoy eating at mom-and-pop places—a lot more than I do at chain restaurants," Lupo replied good-naturedly. "But yeah, I'd go out with Allison. There's no harm in us getting to know each other better…Have you talked to her about this yet?"

"That's the first thing on the agenda for tomorrow morning. I'll text you her answer. I'm sure she'll be up for it."

"And if she's not?"

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I truly believe the only reason she'd say 'no' is if she already has plans."

"You seem really sure of this," Lupo told her.

"And?" Connie asked with a smile.

"Well," Lupo said with a shrug, "you never know…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning—

Connie was in her office, looking over a file for one of their cases, when Allison entered the room after arraignment court.

"Hi!" Connie greeted her partner.

"Hey!" Allison returned.

"How'd it go?"

"Remand without bail," Allison replied.

"Excellent!" said Connie. "Hey, Allison, do you have any plans for Saturday evening?"

"Umm…No, none that I can think of off the top of my head, why?"

"Well, Mike and I are going out to eat at this great diner, and we'd like you to join us."

"Well…no offense, Connie, but isn't three a crowd? I'd be completely intruding on your date."

"Not if you're on a date, as well," said Connie. "See, we also invited Lupo. And he needs a date. You can't have a double date with only three people, you know," she elaborated with a smile.

Allison blushed.

"Oh…" she said bashfully. "Does—does he know I'll be his date? Or is this a blind thing?"

"Oh he knows," Connie said, smiling.

"And he doesn't mind?" Allison asked, going redder.

"Nope!" Connie said kindly. "So what do you say?"

"Sure—I'd love to get to know him better," said Allison.

"You know what? He said the same thing about you."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, absolutely!"

"So this Saturday evening, then?"

"Yeah, this Saturday evening at seven. The place is called Jane's, and it's this great hole-in-the-wall diner. Their food is amazing. Like I told Lupo, especially the key lime pie. I'm making you all try it."

"Sweet, I love key lime pie!" said Allison. She paused for a moment and then added, "God, I hope I don't flub this. It's been so long since I went out with someone—college. I didn't have _time_ to date in law school."

"I don't think _anyone_ did," said Connie.

"Thanks for inviting me, Connie, I really appreciate it. Detective Lupo seems like a really nice guy."

"He really is. I think you guys will have a great time."

At those words, Allison smiled and blushed.

###


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next morning, the Queen's D.A.'s office—

Alone in his office, Mike put down his favorite worn baseball, picked up his Blackberry, and then dialed the Manhattan D.A.'s office, a smirk on his face.

"Manhattan District Attorney's office, this is Ilene, how many I direct your call?" the receptionist answered.

Mike assumed a very serious tone.

"Yes, hi, I'm with the Queens D.A.'s office. Would you please put me through to Miss Rubirosa? This is very important."

"Oh—yes—right away. Just a moment, let me transfer you."

Over in Manhattan, Connie's office phone rang, making her give a startled jump because she'd been deep in concentration for the last forty minutes.

She picked it up.

"Connie Rubirosa."

"Good morning," Mike said impishly, smirking again.

"Mike!" Connie whispered exasperatedly. "What are you doing?"

"Saying 'good morning' to my girlfriend. I miss you," Mike said in the same tone as before.

"I miss you, too—very much, but really, Mike? The office land line? Really? Where's Monica?" Connie said, her last question referring to Monica Cameron, the Queens District Attorney, Mike's new boss.

"In her office," Mike replied.

"Where's Doug?" Connie asked, referring to Doug Washburn, Mike's new partner.

"Arraignment court. Is Jack in his office?"

"Yeah."

"How about Allison?"

"Arraignment court."

"What timing! Wow, I'm good!"

"Mike, this is not a good idea! I do not want to be partially responsible for you getting fired! Plus, I don't want to sneak around like a couple of high-schoolers in a relationship their parents disapprove of! I don't do personal calls while I'm working."

"Noted," Mike said, still smirking.

"Besides, you think I don't know what you're doing? You called me just to flirt/mess with me!"

"And?" Mike said.

Connie could hear his ornery smirk in his voice.

"_And_ I think we should only call each other when we're on breaks or when we're not working. Otherwise, we can text each other. That sound reasonable?" she said.

"Sounds good…_But_—"

"But what?"

"But I'm currently suffering from separation anxiety. It's pretty unpredictable. I don't know exactly when I'll need to hear your voice."

"Really, Mike?" Connie asked in an are-you-kidding-me type voice.

"Yeah, really!"

Connie could tell he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She was reminded of the time she went on that ridiculous reality show. Mike had flirted with her then the exact same way he was now. Though she really didn't think the two of them should be talking on the phone at the moment, part of her was flattered that he was currently flirting with her.

"So, how's your morning been?" Mike went on in a joking, casual tone, his smile still audible in his voice.

"It's been fine," Connie said, now trying not to smile, let alone laugh.

"Great, great…Don't you wanna know how my morning's been?"

"Mike, we really should get off the phone," Connie said, biting her lower lip to try to keep herself from smiling.

"Well, that's not nice!" Mike joked. "I asked_ you_ about_ your _day!"

"Mike, seriously!" Connie said, succumbing to the urge to smile.

Mike could hear in her voice that she was smiling.

"I can't believe you're amused!" he joked. "I'm feeling slighted here, Connie!"

Connie chuckled.

"Don't laugh at me! I don't care what you say, just don't laugh!" Mike said, trying to make her laugh harder.

Connie smiled more broadly.

"I hate you," she quipped.

"So hang up," Mike bantered. "I mean, you don't like personal calls while you're working anyway."

"Seriously, Mike—we should get back to work."

"But I'm enjoying myself—and you still haven't asked me how my morning's been so far!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Okay. So are you coming over here to do it yourself, or should I be expecting a hit man?"

"Oh my God, you're impossible," Connie said, though she was smiling. "Goodbye!"

"Yeah, my morning has been going well—I'm glad you asked!" Mike bantered. "And since you're so busy, I'll take that to mean I should expect a hit man."

"What am I gonna do with you?" Connie asked, smiling.

"The million dollar question," Mike quipped. "But yeah, I did call you to flirt/mess with you, you're right. But that's not the only reason. I also wanted to make you smile."

"Well, you did," Connie said warmly. "So mission accomplished."

"Yeah," Mike said sweetly. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too," said Connie, "but we'll see each other Saturday."

"Yeah…I think we should go out more often."

"Me, too. We'll talk about it tonight, okay?" Connie said warmly.

"Okay," Mike agreed, smiling. "So I spoke with my mom last night. She really wants to meet you."

"Aw, I'd really like to meet her, too! We have to talk about that, too," said Connie.

"Yeah."

"You're smiling. I can hear it in your voice."

"Same to you."

"Yep, you're right…But really, Mike, I should get back to work. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Deal…Hey, Connie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sorry I called," Mike said, gently bantering.

"Well, you know what, Mike?"

"What?"

"I'm not sorry, either," Connie said, smiling. "So I'll talk to you tonight, then?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"I look forward to it. 'Bye, Mike!"

"'Bye!"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Connie."

###


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Saturday night—

Mike showed up at Connie's apartment at six-thirty sharp, right when he said he would.

The moment Connie opened the door, Mike leaned in and kissed her deeply, wrapping his arms around her. Connie enveloped him in her arms as she kissed him back.

When they finally broke apart, Connie felt weak—as she always did whenever Mike kissed her like that.

"Well," she said, catching her breath, "it's nice to see you, too."

"Hi, by the way," Mike said with a small smile.

Connie smiled.

"Hi," she said warmly. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Mike said sweetly, his smile broadening.

Connie thought he was even more handsome when he smiled.

"Hey, nice cologne," she said noticing the scent of Mike's cologne. "It is new?"

"Oh—yeah," Mike replied.

"I really like it," said Connie. "I wonder what's in it?"

Mike smirked.

"Pheromones," he joked.

"Oh, ha ha," Connie said, though she was smiling. "But anyway, it smells really good. What brand is it?"

"Burberry. This flamboyantly gay employee at the department store picked it out. He said it's 'the perfect fit' for me. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, so I just went with it," Mike answered.

Connie chuckled, finding his story endearing.

"But I'm grateful to him because you like it," Mike added. "So are Lupo and Allison meeting us there?"

"Yeah," Connie replied, smiling and kissing him on the cheek.

"Great," said Mike. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Yes," said Connie.

She retrieved her purse from by the door, and Mike stood back so she could lock her apartment. Once she'd placed her keys back inside her purse and flung her purse over her shoulder, Mike put his arm around her shoulders, and she put her arm around his waist.

As they walked out of the building to Mike's car, Mike kissed her temple.

Allison sat on the couch, her heart pounding with nervousness.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly.

She then ran a hand through her light red hair.

A few seconds later, she jumped when she heard a knock on her door. Her two dogs, Butch and Rex, began to bark, which didn't help her nerves at all. Her heart pounding again, she arose and answered it. Butch and Rex had followed her.

"Hi," Lupo said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi…" Allison said, just as shyly.

"How's your weekend been so far?"

"Good, good…I worked out this morning, I read a bit, Skype chatted with my brother…talked on the phone with my parents…did some work on our cases…"

"Busy day," Lupo said with a smile.

"Oh—yeah…" Allison said, blushing. "How about you?"

"I went jogging in Central Park this morning and took Otto with me. That was pretty fun. He loves the park," Lupo replied.

Noticing that Butch and Rex had come up to him, sniffing him and wagging their tails, he added, "Is it all right if I pet them?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, they love people, they're very sociable!"

Lupo held out his palm, allowing the dogs to sniff him.

"I've heard this shows dogs you're trustworthy," he explained.

He pet them, and they continued to wag their tails and sniff him. Rex licked his hand.

"Yeah, I bet you guys smell Otto, don't you?" he said. "Do they like car rides?" he asked Allison.

"Oh, yeah," Allison replied. "They love the car. I'll put them in the back seat, but they'll both just hop up in the front seat next to me. I know they want to poke their heads out the window, but I can't let them because they're too small!"

"I let Otto do that—he's a lot bigger than these guys. He loves car rides. It's funny to watch him when I'm at a stop light," Lupo commented good-naturedly.

"Aw!" said Allison.

"I've always loved dogs," Lupo went on. "I volunteered at a local shelter when I was in college."

"Aw, that's nice!"

"I enjoyed it—especially when one of the dogs would get adopted. It was a no-kill shelter, too."

"That's good!"

"Yeah…so…you ready to go?"

"Yeah! Do you know where this place is?"

"Yeah, Connie texted me the address."

"Cool…So…do you wanna go now?"

"Sure! I'm looking forward to chatting with you more."

"Likewise!"

"And I love mom-and-pop places. I think they're way better than chain restaurants."

"Aww."

"But yeah, I'm ready when you are."

"I'm actually all ready!"

"Cool."

Allison said 'goodbye' to Butch and Rex, grabbed her purse, locked her apartment, and then she and Lupo left her building.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mike and Connie got to the diner first.

"Could we have a booth, please? We've got two people joining us," Connie told the hostess.

"Oh, sure!" the hostess replied.

She led them over to a booth, and Mike chivalrously stood back so that Connie could sit down first. She did so, and then Mike seated himself next to her.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I did," Connie replied with a good-natured smile. "How about you?"

"Yeah, it was good," Mike replied, also giving a smile.

"You take a bite out of crime today, Cut-Throat?" Connie quipped, referring to the time she'd jokingly called him "Cut-Throat Cutter".

"I sure as hell did," Mike replied. "How about you, 'Ruthless'?" he added jokingly, referring to the same time she had, when he'd responded by jokingly calling her "Ruthless Rubirosa".

"Oh definitely," Connie bantered with a wink.

Mike smiled, and she melted.

"I read the _Times_ this morning," he said. "So the Maxwell case is yours, then."

"Yep…Not exactly sure how I feel about that yet," said Connie.

"I've got mixed feelings about it. I hate the idea of you being really stressed-out, but on the other hand, you're a wonderful prosecutor. It really sucks to be Maxwell right now. Plea or trial, he's fucked," said Mike.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Connie said, flattered.

Mike kissed her, and she kissed him back.

Connie smiled when they broke apart.

Mike had a very loving look in his blue eyes.

"Hey," Connie said, "I got the pictures from your going away party printed off!"

"Do you have them with you?"

"Yeah!"

Connie fished around in her purse and took out a stack of pictures.

"Here we go," she said.

"Let's look through them," Mike said, smiling.

"Okay!" Connie agreed brightly.

The pictures were both humorous and very sweet: Connie feeding Mike a bite of cake, Mike feeding Connie a bite of cake, the two of them standing side-by-side—Mike with his arm around Connie's shoulders, Connie with her arm around Mike's waist, as they smiled…The two of them smiling and pretending to raise a toast to the camera…The two of them kissing…

"I'm glad you printed off doubles," Mike said, smiling.

"Of course!" said Connie. "They're for you!"

"I'm glad!" Mike said, smiling.

Connie smiled.

As they continued to flip through the pictures—

"We look so good together," Mike said softly.

Connie melted.

"Yeah, we do," she said.

Mike kissed her temple.

Connie smiled.

"I'll sort those when we get back to my apartment, and you can take your copies home with you," she said.

"Sounds good," said Mike. "I definitely wouldn't mind having more framed pictures of us—both for my office and my apartment."

"I know the feeling," Connie said. "So you said your mom wants to meet me."

"Yeah, she does."

"I've got to admit, I've got mixed feelings about it. Part of me really looks forward to it, but part of me is terrified she won't like me—as in, she won't think I'm good enough for you."

"She won't think that. I know it."

"And how do you know it?"

"You come up in almost every conversation I have with her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been that way ever since I met you."

Something suddenly dawned on Connie.

"She's known for a long time, hasn't she? She knew before I did," she said, referring to Mike being in love with her.

"Yeah," Mike said. "She's known for a long time—since shortly after I met you. She figured it out and called me on it. You know how moms are."

"Yeah."

"God, why didn't I tell you sooner? Before Woll showed up?"

"Hey," Connie said gently. "Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't beat yourself up like that. I know why you were hesitant. We're talking about an extremely heavy subject here—possibly the heaviest subject there is. You only get one chance to say the words. Once you do, they're out in the open for good. There's no taking them back. You wanted your timing to be perfect, I understand that. In fact, you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think the way you came clean was romantic as hell."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You know, I thought it was romantic as hell that you made a move on me at the wedding."

"I'm glad…and you know, I figure that it doesn't matter _when_ we were completely honest with each other—it just matters _that_ we were completely honest with each other."

"You're right," Mike said softly, again looking at her with that loving look in his eyes. "You know, I still can't believe this is happening—you and me."

"Why not?" Connie asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Because it's you—and I feel like I don't deserve you."

"Well I happen to think otherwise," Connie said softly, touching his face. "Mike, you are a _wonderful_ boyfriend."

"You're a wonderful girlfriend," Mike said, very moved.

Connie kissed him, and he kissed her back.

"Hey, guys," Lupo said awkwardly.

Mike and Connie broke apart.

"Hey!" Connie greeted Lupo and Allison. "Have a seat!"

Lupo allowed Allison to sit down and then sat down himself.

"How are you two?" Mike asked them.

"Doin' all right," Lupo said.

"Very well!" said Allison. "How's Queens?"

"It's good, it's good," said Mike.

"How've the Yankees been?"

"They've been doing pretty well," Mike answered with a smile. "Connie and I are actually going to see them face the damn Red Sox next weekend."

"Aw, that sounds like fun!" said Allison.

"I'm excited," Connie said, smiling. "I've been to a game with him before, but it wasn't a date. Jack was with us. The mayor couldn't use his tickets, so he gave them to Jack, and Jack invited us…But yeah, just Mike and I this time—our first baseball game date."

"I'm really looking forward to it," Mike said, smiling as well.

"Aww," Allison said.

"I hope the Red Sox don't start that damn knuckle ball pitcher—that Wakefield," said Mike. "I don't know how they rotate their starters…"

"Okay, what's a knuckle ball pitcher?" Connie asked, smiling in amusement at herself for her lack of baseball knowledge.

"It's when a pitcher grips the ball with his knuckles and throws it that way. Those pitches are _really_ hard to hit because they're so erratic. They're all over the place, so they're really hard for a batter to read."

"I see," Connie said, smiling.

"Nasty strategy, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"It looks really sloppy, though, when you're watching it," said Mike. "I'm not a fan of it."

Connie gave a good-natured smile. She loved hearing Mike talk about baseball. His enthusiasm was so endearing to her.

"Who's pitching for the Yankees on Saturday?" she asked him.

"C.C. Sabathia," Mike replied. "I can't wait for you to see him, Connie—he's great, he's their best pitcher! He's actually one of the best in the league. He's been known to throw two hundred pitches a game—most starters only throw a hundred before managers will bring in a reliever!"

Connie smiled again at his enthusiasm.

Just then, their waitress came and introduced herself. She passed out menus to them, saying she'd be back in a bit to get their drink orders.

###


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I like this, this is nice," said Lupo. "I haven't been on a double date since prom. I went with my best friend Dave and his girlfriend. My date was this Russian exchange student named Katarina. Man, she was so pretty. I had such a huge crush on her."

"Okay, I can totally see you going to prom with a Russian girl. I have no idea why, I just can. It just fits you," said Connie.

"It's probably the whole overseas intel thing," Lupo said good-naturedly. "She was actually my first love—I dated her that entire school year. We kept in touch for a while after she went back to St. Petersburg, but…I haven't heard from her in ages. Heh—maybe she's on Facebook…Well, wherever she is and whatever she's doing, I sincerely hope she's happy and is enjoying herself. She was a really good person, you know? You don't meet too many people as kind-hearted as her," Lupo reminisced. "I wish her the best."

"Most people don't stay with the first person they ever date, but you never forget that person, do you?" said Allison.

"Definitely not," Lupo agreed. "I still feel something when I think of Katarina."

"The guy I went to prom with was in a band," said Allison. "We just went as friends, though—we'd known each other since elementary school. I didn't date until college. That's when I met my first flame. His name was Jay, and he was from England. He was a very attractive guy—and that's without factoring in the accent. Not that the accent wasn't incredibly attractive, but…you know what I mean. He was a great guy—very good to me. We were together for three years, and then he chose to get his masters degree back home, so that's why we broke up. It was really hard on both of us, but…if your dreams take you down different paths in life, then it wasn't meant to be. He had grad school across the pond, and I had law school at Penn State…We're still good friends, though. We actually managed to keep in touch, believe it or not. We exchanged emails for a while, but we mostly talk on Facebook now."

"That's great that you're still friends!" said Connie. "My story's actually kind of similar to yours."

"Really?"

"Yeah! This guy was actually my second boyfriend, but he was the first man I ever loved—well, really, the only man I've ever loved besides Mike, but yeah, the first."

Mike couldn't help but smile.

She loved him—and she was telling other people about it.

"What was his name?" asked Allison.

"Alejandro Ortega," Connie replied. "This bitchy spoiled rich girl who gave me and my two best friends hell from elementary to high school—because our families didn't have as much money as hers—really liked him, too, and when he chose me over her, she was pissed. I finally stood up to her then, too."

"What'd you say to her?" asked Mike.

"I told her that he chose me, so she needed to take a moment and get over it. I told her that I was sick of her crap and that she needed to back off because I refused to put up with it anymore. I told her that she was an entitled, bullying bitch who threw temper tantrums like a two-year-old whenever someone dared to tell her 'no' and that it was pathetic."

"Wow!" said Allison. "I can't believe that came out of _you_. You are honestly one of the most patient people I've ever met."

"Oh I'm very patient," said Connie. "I don't have a short fuse at all. But this girl had been pushing me for years, and I was sick of it…That was fifteen years ago, but I still can't believe it took me that long to finally stand up to her."

"I had no idea you were made fun of in school," Mike said sadly.

"All the time," said Connie. "It was mostly because my parents didn't have much money."

"You're one of the most loving people I've ever met," said Mike. "I don't understand how anyone could _ever_…But I guess that doesn't matter—kids can be so cruel…I'm so sorry, Connie."

"Don't be," Connie said, though she was smiling appreciatively. "Don't feel sorry for me, Mike. I'm so happy now. I've got it great…Anyway, I went to prom with Alejandro. We dated our entire senior year of high school and actually all throughout college, too, so we were together for five years. He was my first time, too. We broke up because he got a job in Sacramento, and I got accepted to law school at NYU, and it's always been my dream to practice law in New York, so we chose to go our separate ways."

"You still keep in touch with him?" asked Allison.

"Yeah—we've actually remained good friends," Connie replied. "And he recently gave me some fantastic news—he's engaged!"

"Aww!" said Allison.

"Yeah, it's great, I'm _so_ happy for him," said Connie. "I've actually met his fiancée. The last time I was in California, which was for Easter, I spent time with my closest friends, and he introduced her to us. They weren't engaged at the time, though. But she's a sweetheart, she's perfect for him. That marriage will work."

"Have they set a date yet?" asked Allison.

"Yeah, for next year," said Connie. "And I told him about Mike, and he said he's really happy for me."

Again, Mike just had to smile. She loved him—and she was telling other people about it.

"Aww, that's good!" said Allison.

"Yeah," Connie said, smiling.

After their waitress returned, and they ordered their drinks—

"Your turn, Mike," said Lupo. "Who was she?"

Connie was intrigued. She'd never heard Mike talk about his love life before.

"Her name was Cassandra, and we met in high school. I thought we had a lot in common. For one thing, I was on the baseball team, and she was on the softball team. Funny enough, we both played third base. We started dating our junior year of high school, we went to prom together, all that good stuff. She was my first time, too. I thought she was the right woman for me, so I asked her to marry me. Yeah. I was engaged once—in college," Mike said.

"What happened?" asked Connie.

Mike shrugged.

"She cheated," he replied, as casually as if he was discussing the weather. "I walked in on her and some guy on the football team."

Connie was stunned.

"Mike, that slut betrayed you," she said. "Weren't you hurt? Weren't you angry?"

"Both," Mike replied nonchalantly. "But I honestly couldn't care less anymore. I haven't cared in years. I actually couldn't be more grateful that she ruined everything. In fact, if I ever see her again, I'll thank her."

"Why?" asked Connie.

"Because otherwise, I wouldn't be with you," Mike said sweetly.

Connie melted. She gave him a hug and then a kiss on the cheek.

The two of them exchanged smiles and then turned their attention to their menus.

"I can't figure out what I want," said Lupo. "Everything sounds delicious: chicken pot pie, country fried steak, chicken and dumplings…man…"

"I know, right?" said Allison.

"I should come here for breakfast some time—I bet their biscuits and gravy are amazing…" Lupo mused. "Or maybe I should have the beef stew—or the catfish."

"I'm leaning towards the pork tenderloin myself," said Allison. "Just throwin' that out there."

"You know if their cheesecake is any good?" Mike asked Connie.

"I don't know," Connie said thoughtfully. "All I know is that the key lime pie is amazing, and you need to try it."

Allison suddenly put down her menu.

"Hey Connie, did you feed Elmo?" she asked.

"Oh yeah—he's good to go," Connie said good-naturedly.

"Who's Elmo?" Lupo asked.

"Elmo is our fish," said Allison. "And he's a salt water fish, so he'll live for quite a while, so we won't be flushing him into the great beyond any time soon," she added.

"Rock n' roll," Lupo joked. "Right on!"

"You know what you want yet?" Allison asked him.

"I think I'm gonna go with the country fried steak. Hey, Allison, what kind of gravy do you like? Are you a brown gravy or a white gravy kind of person? I'm in a bit of a dilemma here, help me out," Lupo said, smiling.

Allison smiled.

"Well," she said, "when it comes to country fried steak, I tend to go with white gravy, so—if I were you, white gravy."

"White gravy it is, then," said Lupo. "Thanks, Allison, you're a lifesaver," he joked.

"I do what I can," Allison bantered, smiling.

Just then, their waitress approached them and asked them if they were ready to order yet. The four of them agreed that they were, so they did. Their waitress took their orders and then left again.

###


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So when do you graduate law school?" Allison asked Lupo.

"Well, I've been going part-time, so I've still got one more year. Then I thought about using the vacation time I've accumulated to study for the Bar exam," Lupo replied.

"Don't pop speed," Mike said, smirking.

"Michael Cutter!" Connie said, shocked.

"Oh, no, I'm not talking about myself—I'm talking about my former roommate, Carl. During the time when we were both studying for the Bar exam, he kept buying speed off some guy and didn't sleep for days on end. Then he wondered why he had to take the exam three times before he passed. I said, 'It's because you don't sleep, you idiot'. Carl wasn't the brightest crayon in the box—academically, yes, common sense-wise, no. He offered me some pills, but I turned them down. I busted my ass to pass the Bar exam, but I didn't spend a second of that time strung out on uppers. That was Carl," Mike said, smirking at how dumb he thought Carl was.

"I'm sorry, Mike, I shouldn't have assumed you were speaking from experience," Connie said.

Mike gave a sweet smile and kissed her on the cheek to show her there were no hard feelings.

Connie smiled and blushed.

"So don't be like Carl," Mike told Lupo, smirking and shaking his head.

"Don't worry, I won't," Lupo said, smirking himself.

"Whatever became of the illustrious Carl, do you know?" Allison asked.

"I don't really know, to be honest," Mike replied with an amused smile.

"Well, all the best to Carl, wherever he may be," Connie quipped.

"Indeed," Mike joked.

A little while later, their waitress came with their dinner.

###

"So," Allison said, swallowing a bite of her pickle spear, "I'm trying to think of an ice-breaker."

Mike turned to Connie.

"So—what's your sign?" he joked.

Connie chuckled.

"Nice," she said with an amused smile.

"So, are you thinking 'either/or', like Coke or Pepsi or Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?" Lupo asked Allison.

"Kind of," she answered pensively. "Oh, here's a good one: guilty pleasures. _Everybody_ has guilty pleasures." She took a bite of her sandwich, swallowed, and then said, "I'll start with myself. Um…Nicholas Sparks novels—they're sappy as hell, but I read them anyway…soap operas—specifically _The Young and the Restless_ and _The Bold and the Beautiful_…and Lady Gaga…Actually, she's not a guilty pleasure, I'm a genuine fan. You know my former boss Miranda? We actually went and saw Gaga in concert together earlier this year. It was amazing."

"I admit, I actually like a couple of her songs," said Connie. "I heard her song 'Speechless', and it's good. I'll admit 'Bad Romance' is pretty catchy…And 'Alejandro' is pretty good, too."

"I love Lady Gaga," said Allison. "I'm normally not a pop music fan, but I can't help it—I love her."

"I love people who can sing and play the piano," said Connie. "I just think that is so cool. I really like Vanessa Carlton, Adele, Alicia Keys, people like that. But I'm a huge Norah Jones fan. Mike is, too. That's one of the first things we learned we have in common. We're trying to see if she's touring, so we can go see her together."

"Aww, that's cool!" said Allison. "I actually really like her, too."

"So do I," said Lupo.

"I can set different ringtones for different people on my phone," said Connie, "and my ringtone for when Mike calls me is one of her songs."

Mike was pleasantly surprised.

"Which song?" he asked.

"'Come Away with Me'," Connie replied casually.

Mike melted.

Speechless, he could only stare at her.

Seeing that, Connie gave him a warm smile and then returned her attention to her dinner.

"So, for me," she said after swallowing a bite of dumplings, "it's Jane Austen novels—definitely Jane Austen novels. _Pride and Prejudice_ is my absolute favorite."

"What?" Mike asked, smiling and joking with her. "Mr. Darcy? You're gonna hold me to _that_ standard?"

"Aww, Mike!" Connie said, smiling. "No way!"

"I know," Mike said, smiling sweetly. "I'm just giving you a hard time."

Connie gave him another warm smile.

"Yeah, I'm a huge Jane Austen fan," she said. "Like I said, _Pride and Prejudice _is my favorite. I own that one, _Sense and Sensibility_—which is another of my favorites, _Northanger Abbey_, _Mansfield Park,_ _Persuasion_, and _Emma_, which is also a favorite. I think that's every novel she ever wrote, actually," she elaborated with a smile. "I have some movie adaptations, too. I love Jane Austen. The way she wrote romance and how she satirized societal expectations of people's behavior and of love—it was just so eloquent and clever."

"I agree," said Allison.

"I'm such a sucker for Jane Austen romance—I can't help it," said Connie. "But what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic."

She smiled and shrugged.

"I never knew that about you," said Mike.

"The Jane Austen fan part or the hopeless romantic part?" said Connie.

"The Jane Austen fan part," Mike replied.

"Oh—yeah," Connie said, smiling. "I was gonna say—I _hope_ you know I'm a hopeless romantic."

"Of course I know that," Mike said sweetly, smiling, as well.

Allison swallowed a bite of pork tenderloin and then said, "How about you, Detective?"

"Call me Cyrus," Lupo said good-naturedly.

"Oh—right," Allison said shyly, hoping she wasn't blushing. "How about you, Cyrus?" she then corrected herself.

"Well," Lupo said, taking a drink of his beer, "I'm a pretty big _Star Wars _fan myself. I loved it growing up, and I still do. I mean, I'm not one of those guys who goes to conventions dressed as a storm trooper or anything like that. I just like the movies and the books. But I've seen the movies so many times that I know large chunks of them by heart. I was pretty pumped when George Lucas decided to re-release them. I've got the really good DVDs with all the extras."

"Have you ever had a marathon?" asked Connie.

"No, but I should. I've seen all the parodies, too, like _Space Balls_ and that _Family Guy_ movie," said Lupo.

"I like _Star Wars_, too," said Allison.

"Really?" Lupo said happily.

"Oh yeah! I'm not as big a fan as you are, but I certainly enjoy it," said Allison.

"I love _Star Wars_," said Lupo. "I'm a huge Batman fan, too. I own all the movies, and I kept the comic books I had from when I was a kid. Batman—I tell ya, he's the man."

"Growing up, I really liked Batman, too," said Mike. "I just thought he was the coolest guy ever. I wanted to be Bruce Wayne. I mean, who _wouldn't_ want to be a guy who spends his days being a billionaire businessman and his nights going around in strange clothes, committing vigilantism? What's not to like?"

"And he gets away with that vigilantism because he's friends with the police commissioner," said Lupo.

"Exactly!" Mike agreed. "Yep—my eight-year-old dream right there."

"Could you _get_ any more endearing?" Connie asked him.

Mike gave a flattered smile.

"I like the Green Lantern, too," Lupo went on.

"Aww," said Allison, smiling.

All his talk about superheroes and _Star Wars_ was very endearing to her.

He gave a shy smile.

"I also really like _Harry Potter_," he said.

"I love _Harry Potter_!" Allison said happily.

"I like _Harry Potter_," Connie said.

"I own all the books and all the movies!" said Allison. "I also have a book about J. K. Rowling, a book about the fandom called _Harry: A History_, all the movie soundtracks, all the spin-off books—you know, _Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_—those. Yeah—love _Harry Potter_."

"My favorite book is _Goblet of Fire_. One summer, I went to Spain with my family and bought a second copy of it, so now I have it in English and Spanish," Connie said good-naturedly.

"That's cool!" said Allison.

Connie smiled.

"I have the books and the movies," she said.

"Do you have all the spin-offs?" asked Allison.

"Yeah!" Connie replied.

"I have the main books and all the movies. It's good stuff," said Lupo.

"Isn't it?' Alison agreed. "I have all the movie soundtracks, too. My favorite one is _Order of the Phoenix_."

"And I have no idea what you guys are talking about," Mike said, smiling in amusement at himself. "I've heard of the series, but I got into it."

"Sorry, Mike," Connie said, smiling.

"It's all right!"

"I also have a book about _Deathly Hallows_ predictions and an anthology of analytical essays on the series called _Harry Potter and Philosophy_," said Allison. "I love _Harry Potter_."

"Have you ever gone to see any of the movies at midnight?" Lupo asked her.

"Oh yeah, that's what I always do!"

"Maybe we could go together when _Deathly Hallows _comes out," Lupo suggested shyly.

"Sure, I'd really like that," Allison said the same way.

"Okay, I think we need to change the subject because I feel bad that Mike has no idea what we're talking about," said Connie.

"Connie, it's okay," Mike said warmly.

"No, she's right," said Allison. "We should be including you. I got us on that tangent, anyway…So how about you, Mike—guilty pleasures."

"Well," said Mike, "I'm a huge Tolkien fan. I have been for a long time—since high school. I own the _Lord of the Rings_, both the books and the movies, I own _The Hobbit_, _The Silmarillion_, and a bunch of his other books."

"_Lord of the Rings _was good. I enjoyed it," said Lupo. "I'd like to read the books."

"I loved the movies," said Connie. "I own them."

"Have you read the books?" Mike asked.

"I just finished _The Hobbit_," said Connie.

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it was neat!"

"Do you own the books?"

"Yes, I just haven't read them yet. I'm looking forward to them, though, because again, I love the movies," Connie said.

"I was gonna say, if you didn't, I'd let you borrow my copies, but they're kind of dilapidated," Mike said with a smile.

Connie made a mental note to hit the bookstore—Mike needed brand new copies of _Lord of the Rings_. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she gave them to him. He would just love them.

"Well, it's the thought that counts," Connie said, smiling. "I wish I'd known you were such a big fan!"

"I do a really good job of hiding it," said Mike. "I was especially careful about it in school, mainly around my teammates. I had a reputation to uphold. If any of them had found out their third baseman was reading about elves and hobbits, I would've been ruined."

"Well, to_ me_, you wouldn't have been," Connie said with a smile.

"I know that," Mike said appreciatively, his sweet smile peeking out. "Connie, you're the least judgmental person I've ever met."

Connie rewarded him with the warm smile she saved only for him.

###

**A/N****: No offense to Colin Firth or Matthew MacFayden, but Linus Roache would've made an AWESOME Mr. Darcy. Just my two cents. Alongside what actress, I don't know. I'd need a list of English actresses his age to look at. But, in my humble opinion? Hubba hubba! Rawr! Ah-WOO-guh! Linus would be one hell of a hot Mr. Darcy! Seductive-sounding voice? Check. Talent? Check. Looks? Check. And then factor in the accent and the period clothing, and HEY-OH! I don't know about y'all, but I'm sure as hell set! ;-)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Here's a question for you," said Allison. "What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?"

Connie laughed.

"Okay, if we're trying to one-up each other here, I'm going to win," she said.

"Do I know about this?" Mike asked with an amused smile.

"Yes, you do," Connie replied, also smiling. "And so do you, Lupo."

"Really?" asked Lupo, smiling.

"Okay, talk, Connie," said Allison. "I'm very interested now!"

"I had a woman send me a 'thank you' gift of diamond earrings made from her dead husband's remains," Connie said.

_"What?"_ Allison said. "How the hell does _that_ happen?"

Connie turned to Mike.

"Do you remember that?"

"Yeah," Mike replied, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a smirk.

"Are you serious?" said Lupo. "Wait, was it that woman who, to be blunt, dressed like a ten-dollar hooker?"

"Yes," Connie replied.

Allison was still in complete disbelief.

"A woman with terrible fashion sense sent you a pair of diamond earrings made out of her husband's dead body?"

Connie found Allison's reaction amusing.

"Allison, I couldn't make that up if I tried!" she said, smiling.

"How do you even _do_ that?" Allison asked.

"I'm not really sure," Connie said. "But God, only me," she added, shaking her head. "That would only happen to me."

"God, that is just…I don't know whether to say morbid or creepy or disturbing…weird…or all of the above," said Allison. "Yeah, if this were a contest, you'd win. I sure as hell can't trump that."

"Me neither," Lupo said with an amused smirk.

"That woman was definitely…_something_," said Mike. "All throughout that case, I just kept wondering why we had to be the ones stuck knowing far more about her than we could ever care to," he added, shaking his head.

"Yeah, talk about a special snowflake," said Lupo.

Allison laughed.

Connie gave a smile. This was going well.

Lupo smiled.

"So what'd you do with those earrings, Connie?" he then asked, chuckling.

"I discreetly disposed of them," Connie replied with an amused smile.

"What?" Mike teased her. "You mean you don't want to walk around wearing jewelry made out of some dead guy you never knew?"

He was smiling impishly.

"No, sweetheart, I don't," Connie said, chuckling.

"So if I died tomorrow, you wouldn't do that with me?" Mike joked.

"You know, maybe I would," Connie bantered. "Yeah…Yeah, I would. I'd have you made into a pendant that says 'Here Lies Michael Cutter'."

The two of them exchanged glances and then laughed.

"What would you have me made into?" Connie asked.

"A belt buckle," Mike bantered. "I'd have it say 'R.I.P. Consuela Rubirosa: Beloved girlfriend, fellow attorney…and belt buckle'."

Connie laughed.

"I'd want to be made into a bling," Lupo joked.

Allison burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry!" she said, catching her breath a few seconds later. "It's just that that is pretty much the funniest thing I've heard all week!"

Lupo smiled.

"Glad to give you a laugh," he said.

He liked her laugh. He thought it was contagious.

###


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Maybe I'll go into probate—put that in my last will and testament," he joked.

Allison chuckled.

"Hey, have you chosen an area of focus yet?" she asked.

"I should just make it criminal justice and be done with it—that's probably what I'll end up doing anyway," Lupo replied.

"Think of it this way: who'd make a better defense attorney or prosecutor than a former cop," said Mike.

"Thanks, Mike," Lupo said, a bit taken aback by the compliment.

Mike shrugged, as though it was nothing.

"And once you've passed the Bar exam, we'll make you a cake that says, 'Congratulations, You're a Scheister'," Allison joked.

Lupo chuckled.

"Thanks," he quipped.

"Oh—speaking of law students, Jack gave me the go-ahead with my project of sorts," said Connie.

"Project?" Mike asked curiously.

"Yeah," Connie replied pleasantly. "We have this intern named Stacey, and she's from Yale. Well, I ran it by Jack, and he's agreed to let her work with me on the Owens case. And she'll be my second chair if it goes to trial. I'd like to do that with every intern at some point—have them assist us like that. I felt like that was giving Allison the shaft, though, so she'll be sitting first chair at the Blackwell trial next month. I want our interns to get the most out of their time with us. I want them to feel like they've learned what it's like to actually practice law, and they won't get that collating papers all day, you know?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "Connie, that's a _great_ idea. Do you mind if I borrow it?"

"Of course not!" Connie said pleasantly.

"I mean, you're absolutely right—that _is_ the best way for them to learn," said Mike.

Then—

"Why didn't I think of that?" he added.

Connie smiled.

"Because when you get focused on a case, you get _very_ focused," she said warmly.

"No argument here," Mike said, smiling.

"Allison, I haven't heard you laugh that hard since Jim Stewart from Narcotics emailed those lawyer jokes to everyone," Connie said good-naturedly.

Allison smiled.

"Hey, those were funny!" she said. "Basically because they're all true!"

"Oh, I know!" Connie said. "Even Jack was laughing at them!"

"Connie forwarded them to me—I thought they were funny," Mike said.

"Lawyers telling lawyer jokes?" Lupo asked, smiling.

"Hey, I have a blonde friend who tells blonde jokes," said Allison. "It's important to be able to laugh at yourself."

"That's very true," Lupo agreed.

"Speaking of Jim from Narcotics, he's quite the ladies man, isn't he?" said Allison.

"Well, he's proved a nice distraction for Emma," Connie said with a satisfied smile, referring to her friend Emma Blair, who worked in the white collar crimes division. "It's like dangling something shiny in front of her."

Mike snickered.

Allison said, "Yeah…Emma is…"

"A big flirt?" Connie chimed in, completing Allison's thought. "Yeah," she agreed.

"What do you mean by 'a nice distraction'?" Allison asked.

"Oh—she used to hit on Mike all the time," Connie replied.

"She knows you and Mike are together, though, doesn't she?" said Allison.

"Yeah, I told her," Connie said. "She was very supportive. I do think she was a little disappointed because she loved making passes at him, but…she was mostly very sweet about it. I'm not as close to her as I am to Lacey because I've known Lacey since law school, but she_ is _a really good friend…But yeah, there were actually quite a few women around the office who would flirt with Mike: Sharon from White Collar…Francesca from White Collar…Victoria from Homicide…Emma, of course…And that law clerk that one time—Kelly, Carol, Carmen, whatever her name was. She was forgettable."

Mike was just starting at her.

"What?" she asked him, with a small smile.

"I'm just flattered that that meant so much to you…I can't believe you kept track of that…or made note of it…whatever the right phrase is…"

Connie smiled warmly at him.

"It'd be easier for me to list all the men who _don't_ flirt with you," Mike said.

Connie kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled at her.

"I remember the look on Jim's face when he figured out who you are," Allison said to Connie, smirking. "That was pretty priceless."

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"Oh, Allison and I were in the break room, and he hit on me. He said, 'You know, you're really beautiful', and I said, 'Aw, thanks, you know, my boyfriend thinks so, too, in fact, he tells me all the time, it's incredibly sweet'."

Mike smiled in amusement.

"Man, I had to high tail it out of there, so I could laugh my ass off in my office. That was just_ so_ well done, Connie," said Allison.

"Thanks, Allison," Connie said a little bashfully.

"I wish I'd been there to see that," Mike said, smirking.

"Oh, it gets better," said Allison. "The two of us were in her office, talking about the McDowell case, when someone knocks on the door, and Connie answers it, and there he is—there's Jim. And his expression was just priceless. It was just like _'fuck me'_."

Mike smirked.

"So I take it he'd just realized he hit on his boss?" he said.

"I probably shouldn't think it's funny," said Allison, "but I do."

"I felt kind of bad for him," said Connie. "He didn't mean to make an ass of himself—it just happened. He was new—he didn't know who I was."

"That's true," said Allison. "Plus, he _did _apologize."

"Right, he did. And he's behaved himself ever since," said Connie.

"What about Wade from Vice? Is _he_ behaving himself?" Mike asked, referring to Wade Collins, an ADA in the vice division, who would make a pass at Connie every time he saw her, much to Mike's chagrin.

"Oh Wade transferred to Staten Island. I don't have to worry about him, anymore—thank God," said Connie.

"Was he obnoxious?" asked Allison.

"Very," said Connie.

"Ugh. There was a guy like that back in Pittsburgh who used to hit on me all the time," Allison said in disgust.

"Did he ever leave you alone?" Lupo asked, concerned.

Allison was flattered that he seemed to care so much. She blushed.

"Yeah—he had no choice. He moved back to whatever state he was from, I heard," she then said.

"Good," said Lupo. "I'm glad you don't have to put up with him anymore."

"Me, too," Allison said, blushing again.

_You are so good, Connie,_ Connie thought to herself.

Yep—this was definitely going well…

###


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So, completely switching to a more pleasant topic, how's McCoy doing with his campaigning? Any news lately?" Lupo asked Connie and Mike.

"Pretty well so far," Connie replied, exchanging glances with Mike. "A recent poll showed him as the preferred candidate by, what, four or five percent, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," said Mike. "I think it was five percent. I definitely think he can win, but voters are like juries—they're unpredictable."

"I've decided that if he doesn't win the election, I'm going into private practice," said Connie. "I'm going to start my own firm—or rather, Jack and I are."

"Damn," Mike said disappointedly. "I've only been on the opposite side of the courtroom from you once, and it was enough. I hate being against you," he added sweetly.

Connie smiled warmly.

"Mike, law firm partners don't face off in the courtroom. They work together," she said.

She looked at him and noticed that he was staring at her with an expression of flattered disbelief.

"You mean you would—if you actually—" he stammered softly.

"Well, I have a friend in the Attorney General's office who's ready and willing to help me incorporate," Connie said. "Mike—I _could_ have a firm without you as a partner—but I don't want to."

"Well, you won't have to," Mike said, a firm sort of tenderness to his voice. "All you have to do is show me the incorporation papers, and you'll have my signature right next to yours."

Connie gave him another warm smile and kissed him on the cheek, causing him to smile.

"Oh, and Allison, since you know what it's like to work for someone you can't stand, we'd love to have you," Connie said. "And Lupo, once you've graduated and passed the Bar exam—welcome aboard, if you so choose."

"Thanks," Lupo said pleasantly, giving a grateful smile. "Rallying McCoy and 'Team McCoy'—I like it."

"Why, thank you," Connie said playfully.

"You're a rebel, Connie," Allison joked.

Connie laughed.

"I guess I am!" she quipped.

Just then, their waitress returned to see if they were finished with their dinners. They all were, so she took their plates and asked them if they'd like to order any dessert.

"I would," said Lupo.

"All right, what would you like?" asked the waitress.

"I'll have a slice of your apple pie," Lupo replied.

"Okay," said the waitress. "Anyone else want dessert?"

Allison, Connie, and Mike each ordered a slice of key lime pie.

A little while later—

The four of them finished their desserts. Mike paid for himself and Connie, and Lupo paid for himself and Allison.

"Wow, you were right, Connie—that key lime pie _was_ amazing!" said Allison.

"I told you!" Connie said, smiling.

"Is anyone going to catch tonight's thrilling season finale of _Family Showdown with Larry and Septomom_?" Mike joked.

"Nope, just you," Connie bantered. "You should send in some fanmail, honey. I bet it'd just make their day to know that you watch the show religiously," she added with a smirk.

"Yeah, that'd go over well," Mike bantered. "Well, I prosecuted you, but I've had a change of heart—you're all my heroes!"

Connie laughed.

"I wonder if Arthur's made his decision yet?" Mike then asked dryly.

"Van Buren was talking about how he's partaking in that crap," said Lupo. "That's tacky as hell."

"Amen," Mike agreed.

"That's pretty much political suicide, too, isn't it?" said Connie. "He must not want a senate seat that much, then."

Mike snorted.

"Next thing you know, he'll be fighting Judge Judy for the title of number one legal TV personality," he said flatly.

Connie laughed again.

"I just love how witty you are," she said.

"Thanks," Mike said with a sweet smile.

"Wouldn't _that_ be something?" Lupo said, chuckling.

"If _Cops_ was still airing, I'd tell you to go for it," Allison joked with him.

Lupo chuckled.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he quipped. "I'd put B up for that show," he added, snickering.

Allison chuckled.

"He'd kill me," Lupo said, smirking.

"Speaking of Arthur, Mike, did Lacey or I ever tell you about the list of his quotes that we made?" said Connie.

"You made a list of Arthur Branch quotes?" Mike said, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Yep. We compiled a list of all his colorful sayings and metaphors. We call it 'The Collected Wisdom of Arthur Branch," Connie said with a satisfied smile.

Mike snickered.

"That's brilliant," he said. "Do you have a copy of it still?"

"I'm pretty sure it's still on my laptop," Connie replied. "If I find it, I'll send you a copy. You'll love it. We gave Jack a copy after Arthur left," she added, smirking.

"I've got to see that," Mike said.

"Yeah, you do!" Connie agreed. "Well—" she then said, "looks like we're all finished."

"Yeah. I'm stuffed," said Lupo. "This place is great, I'm definitely coming back."

"Me, too!" said Allison.

"Maybe, uh…maybe we could come back together…" Lupo said a bit shyly.

"I'd like that—I'd like that a lot," Allison said, smiling. "I think you're a really nice guy, and I had a great time tonight. I'd love to do this again."

"You're a really nice woman, and I had a great time tonight, too," Lupo said.

Allison smiled, pretty sure she was blushing.

"Are you ready to head home?" Lupo asked her.

"Yeah," she replied.

The two of them arose from their seats.

"Hey, Connie—thanks for inviting me," Lupo said. "It means a lot."

"I second that," said Allison.

"You're both very welcome," Connie said kindly.

"This was a lot of fun," Allison said.

"It was," Lupo agreed.

"I'm really glad you guys enjoyed yourselves!" said Connie. "We did, too!"

The four of them exchanged goodbyes.

As Lupo and Allison left the diner—

"So…I already have your number—and you already have mine…" Lupo said shyly.

"Yeah," Allison said, blushing.

"So…maybe we can get together again soon…walk our dogs together in Central Park…Go see _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One _when it comes out…Come back and eat here again…or something…" Lupo went on.

_How about all of the above?_ thought Allison.

"That'd be great," she said aloud. "But due to our jobs, we'll probably have to play it by ear."

"Yeah…" Lupo agreed. "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah," Allison replied. "Hey—thanks for the great evening, Cyrus."

"You're welcome, Allison," Lupo replied.

The two of them exchanged smiles and then walked out to his car, so he could drive her home.

###

Mike and Connie still sat in their booth.

Connie rested her head against Mike's shoulder.

"Did you have a good time?" she asked him.

"Of course I did," Mike replied sweetly, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Did you?"

"Yes," Connie said, smiling. "Are the Yankees playing this evening?"

"They are, actually," Mike replied.

He took his Blackberry out of his pocket and got on the internet to check on the game.

"It's the bottom of the fifth, and they're up by three…" he said.

"Nice!" said Connie.

"Would…would you like to watch it with me?" asked Mike. "It's on ESPN 2. We could relax at my apartment if you'd like…"

"I would like that," said Connie. "Let's get them a win! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Mike replied.

He arose from the booth and chivalrously stepped back so that Connie could leave the booth. He then placed his arm around her shoulders. She placed her arm around his waist, and then the two of them walked out of the diner together.

###


End file.
